Brake and power apparatus for electrically-driven vehicles.



- Patented Oct. l 0, |899.

.w. E. PEARSON. BRAKE AND POWER APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIGALLY DRIVEN VEHICLES.

i Sheets-Sheet I.

(llolodeL) INVErJ'rIJH may No, 634,832. Patented Oct. 10, I899.

W. E. PEARSUN.

BRAKE AND POWER APPARATUS FOR ELECTBICALLY DRIVEN VEHICLES.

(Application filed 1m. 4, 1599.

I 2 sums-sheet 2.

(No, Model.)

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM E. PEARSON, OF

PATENT" OFFICE.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BRAKE AND POWER APPARATUS FORELECTRlCALLY-DRIVEN VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,832, dated October 10, 1899.

Application filed March 4,1899. Serial No. 707,779. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. PEARSON,

of Boston, in the county ofSufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Brake and Power Ap paratus for Electrically-Diiven Vehicles, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specifica tion.

My invention relates to an apparatus for operating the brake mechanism and the governboth the brake and power mechan-,

ism of any vehicle of this class.

A form of mechanism in which my invention is embodied is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which---- V Figure 1 is a View showing in front-elevation one form of my invention as applied to a car, the mechanism being shown as suspended crosswise under the platform at the end of the car.

removed. Fig 3 is a plan showing someof the parts shown in Fig. 2, but in different positions. Fig. 4. shows, partly in elevation and partly in section, parts that are shown in plan in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a cross vertical section taken on line a; a; of Fig. 3; Fig. 6, details, partly in section and partly in elevation. Fig. 7 is a view from the under side of one of the parts; Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11, details.

The platform of an electric car. is represented by A in Fig. 1. Suspended under this platform and crosswise of the car is the mech-- anism of my invention. (Shown entire in Figs. 1 and 2 and in detail in the other fignres.) A base-plate E has ears E E E E, by which and the hangers A A it is held to the platform A of the'car. This base-plate E is made trough-like in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 5, and supports a slide G. The slide C has a rack C on its side, which meshes with the pinion-gear O on the brake-shaft B, and also a rack 0 which meshes with a pinion D on the shaft D of the electric controller D of the car. A spring 0 held in place by the yoke-piece O rests upon the slide C" and Fig. 2 is a planof the machanism as it would appear were the platformassists in holding it in place. A pin 0 is connected to the slide 0', the use of which will be explained. a

The brake-shaft'B has a second pinion B, which meshes with a rack on the sliding plate ,K. The plate K is held by the way-piece E which is made fast to the base-plate E. The :plate K has a long narrow opening is 1:3, Fig. 2, in which a pin C operates.

B on a sleeve B attached to the brake-shaft B. A pin 13 on the brake-shaft B limits the free movement of the sleeve B that is, while the shaft B may turn nearly a whole rotation without moving the sleeve B yet as soon as the pin B comes in contact with the arm 13 on the said sleeve then the sleeve must turn with the brake-shaft, and thus wind may be.

after the pinion C has carried it to the limit of the rack C consists of a swinging collar L, loosely mounted on the brake-shaft B, resting uponthe upper side of the pinion G and held from slipping upward by the collar L, which is rigidly held in place by the setscrew L The swinging collar L has an arm L which acts at certain times on the pin 0 on the slide G, as will be hereinafter set forth.

The swinging motion of the collar L is limited in one direction by a pin L on the pinion C and controlled by a springs, (see Fig. 7, a plan in reverse) one end of this spring resting upon stop S, made in the groove S and the other end abutting against a stud 8*, pro jecting from the face of the pinion G. This arrangement will admit of the collar L and its arm L to rotate or swing (compressing the spring S) to a limited extent in the direction of the arrow W.

' For convenience in throwing on the electric current without operating the brakewheel and itsvconnected mechanism, as may be required when the vehicle is on an upgrade,the following-described well-known device is used: A rod F, bent as shown at F, Fig. 2, so as to engage with the end of the slide 0, is connected at F with the lower-end of the bent lever F (pivoted at F This lever F is operated by foot-bolt F The spring F serves to throw the rod F forward The brakerchain B is connected to an arm up or loosen the brake-chain, as the case A device for giving motion to the slide 0 when not drawn back by the action of the foot-bolt and bent lever.

The operation of the parts may be explained as follows: The operator in handling the wheel B is enabled to let off the brake and turn on the electric current, or he may cut out the current and turn on the brake that is, he, under ordinary circumstances, controls the vehicle by the use of the hand-wheel B alone. To start the vehicle, he turns the hand-wheel backwardthat is, against the arrow W-the position of the parts being as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. This lets off the brake-chain B and, acting through the pinion B and rack on plate K, throws the plate K in the direction of the arrow V. This motion of the plate K causes the pin 0 which isnow at the extreme right-hand end of the narrow opening 7c k in the said plate, to move to the left and draw the slide 0 with it. This action will continue until the slide 0 has been drawn so far to the left that the teeth on the pinion C will engage with the rack O on the said slide 0. Now the slide 0' will be forced to the left at a greater speed than before, and as both the pinions O and B are in mesh with their racks the plate K will not move so'fast as the slide 0, thus causing the pin C to advance in the narrow opening 70 toward the end 70'. To provide for the movement of the arm L on the collar L, which will come in contact with the pin C on the slide C and have a tendency to move faster than the said pin, the spring S is used. This spring allows the said arm to lag until it has passed so far to the left in its rotation that it will slip off the pin and then be thrown, back to its resting position against the pin L on the pinion O. Vhile these motions have been going on, the rack 0 Fig. 2, has been rotating the pinion D on the shaft D of the electric controller D and the current has been turned on, causing the vehicle to advance. v

To stop the vehicle-that is, to put on the brake and turn ofi the current-the operation is as follows: The hand-wheel B is turned in the direction of the arrow W. This movement of the hand-wheel will not at first act on the chain of the brake, as the pin B will be on the wrong side of the arm B (see Figs. 4 and 5,) it requiring nearly a full turn of the brake-shaft to bring the pin 13 into contact with the arm B This pin is shown in working contact with the arm in Fig. 1. As soon as the pin B strikes the arm E the brakechain begins to be wound up and the brake is applied. In the meantime the pinion O is operating the rack O of the slide 0, and through this slide and its rack C the pinion D is rotated. The rotation of the pinion D gives motion to the shaft D of the electric controller in D and thus cuts off the current. Thus .the brake is applied and the current is cut oif by the action of the handwheel alone. When the pinion O has carried the slide 0 so far to the right that the teeth 0 of the rack have passed beyond the action of the teeth of the pinion C, then the arm L will engage with the pin C on said slide 0' and force it still farther to the right, so that in reversing the direction of the handwheel it will not at first affect the slide C, but will act through the pinion B and cause the plate K to move back in the direction of the arrow V and, acting on the pin 0 draw the slide 0 back, so as to cause its rack C to engage with the pinion O, as has been already explained. To prevent the slide 0 from be ing thrown so far back (by the action of the foot-bolt F) as to engage with the teeth of the gear-wheel O, I have the following-described device, (see Fig. 8:) A fiat spring R has attached to it a stop-pin R, which is normally in the path of the slide 0, so as tostop it when desired, and thus allow the operator to turn the hand-wheel B without affecting the electric-current device. "When it is desired to operate the current device, theturning of the hand-wheel to the left will cause the slide K to move to the left. This motion of the slide will cause the projection K on said slide to come in contact with a cam-piece R on the spring R and force it outward, thus removing the pin R from the path of the slide 0, so that it can be drawn into engagement with the gear 0, as hasbe'en described In Figs. 9, 10, and 11 I have shown a modification of the device shown in Fig. 7 for giving motion to the slide 0 after the pinion O has carried it to the limit of the rack 0 This device consists of a latch M, pivoted at M and having side guards h M and a checkpin M This latch M takes the place of the arm L in Figs. 3 and 7, the incline 0 taking the place of the pin 0 the action of the two devices being practically the same. Thus when the wheel 0, Fig. 10, is going in the direction against the arrow then the latch M will slide up the incline 0 without givingany motion to the slide 0; but when the wheel 0 rotates in the direction of the. arrow the latch M will come in contact with the left end of the incline O and force the slide 0 forward.

I claim 1. In an apparatus of this class, a brakeshaft having a pinion-gear, a slide adapted to be operated by said pinion-gear, a rack upon said slide adapted to engage with and operate the electric-controller mechanism; a pin as C on said slide engaging with a narrow opening in a sliding plate as K, the said sliding plate'having a rack adapted to engage with a pinion on the brake-shaft and to be operated by it, whereby the motion of the sliding plate is at intervals communicated to the said slide; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus of this class, a brake and shaft having a pinion-gear adapted to engage with the teeth of a rack on a slide, the said slide and a mechanism by which its motion is communicated to an electric controller; a pin (as 0 on said slide adapted to engage with andbe operated by a swinging arm (as L on the said brake-shaft, the said swinging arm having limited rotative motion in relation to the brake-shaft, said motion being limited in one direction by a stop-pin (as L on said pinion-gear, and yieldingly controlled by a spring; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an apparatus of this class, a brake and shaft having a pinion-gear adapted to engage with the teeth of a rack on a slide, the said slide and a mechanism by which its motion is com municated to an electric controller; a sliding plate as K having a projection K adapted to engage with a cam-piece, saidcanpiece having a stop-pin, as R, adapted to engage with and check the motion of the con- 

